August 25, 2010
School of Engineering, Bengaluru
 

R. Karthkeyan, Assistant Professor, ECE Department at Bengaluru, recently returned from the University of Turku in Finland after spending nearly nine months there as a Ph.D. research scholar. This opportunity to study abroad was made available to him through Erasmus Mundus’s India 4 EU program.
 

Given below is a report by him of his work and experiences while in Finland.
 

The University of Turku is a multi-disciplinary institution located on the southwest coast of Finland, in the city of Turku. With 21,000 students and 3,000 faculty and staff members, it is one of Finland’s major universities.
 

The Department of Information Technology at the University of Turku offers courses in computer science, electronics and telecommunications technology. Teaching in the department is of high quality. Research in diverse areas emphasizes algorithms, bioinformatics, digital and analog circuit design, biomedical signal analysis, microelectronics and embedded systems.
 

My research work at the department explored the applicability of artificial intelligence in process control systems. In chemical industries complex, for instance, advanced controllers are used to improve the dynamic performance of a control system. The use of these intelligent controllers is more effective than using conventional controllers; robust control performance is obtained.
 

I evaluated the performance of the designed controller by conducting experiments on different systems. I also studied the design of a hybrid controller for complex control systems.
 

At Turku, I worked under the supervision of Dr. Jouni Isoaho and Dr. Seppo Virtanen of the Department of Information Technology. I collaborated also with Dr. Tapio Pahikkala, who works in the area of machine learning at the University of Turku; he took special interest and made an effort for the successful completion of my research work.
 

It is my pleasure to share my pleasant experience in Finland. The work culture there is very good. Everyone is focused and dedicated to work, regardless of their position and age. People are honest and sincere and very very punctual. Finnish people have helping tendency, due to which my stay was pleasant, and I was able to do good work there.
 

My colleagues provided me the required confidence and supported me during the entire process. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to them and our management for motivating me. I wish to also express my thanks to the Erasmus Mundus team in Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham that is doing a marvelous job of providing excellent opportunities for study and research in European countries.
 

I believe that this program and my research are successful due to the blessings of our beloved Chancellor Amma.